The Sealer Mix

Unless it is premixed, the sealer you purchase from the manufacturer is not yet ready to be applied to the pavement. Before you apply the material you must first add water. It is strongly recommended that in addition to this water, you add, a silica sand and a latex additive to the mix as well. Using sand in your mix makes good sense. You should ultimately rely on your materials supplier for the proper mix design.

It is obvious that sand makes good sense. You may ask, “If sand is good, why don’t all contractors use it”? Some of the reasons are as follows:

1. The pump on their machine will not spray the sand. (They obviously don’t own a NEAL unit.)
2. No agitation, or underbuilt agitation system.
3. Not aware of the cost benefits.
4. Inability to mix sand in barrels manually.

What kind of sand do I need, and where do I buy it?
First of all, you can usually purchase the sand you need where you purchase your sealer. It is important that you use sand that has been screened. The most widely used rating for sand is determined by the U.S. Sieve Sizes. The size you should use is rated 30/60 or 20/40.

As a substitute for sand you may use Black Beauty. Black Beauty is a boiler slag that is also crushed, screened and rated in sieve sizes. The characteristics of Black Beauty are that it is a much harder aggregate, and its black shiny colors add a “sparkle” to the finish of the job.

It is recommended that you purchase bagged sand. This insures that the sand is dry, and it is measured in units that can be used in developing your mix design. A major point favoring the use of sand is the fact that sand lowers the per gallon cost of your materials; however, more important than this is the issue of liability. Sealer without sand is very slippery. When the pavement becomes the slightest bit wet cars and people have a tendency to slip and slide. Over the years we have seen numerous lawsuits against property owners and contractors in cases where people have been injured on lots sealed without sand. This, coupled with the fact that there seems to be a great majority of people looking for any reason to sue anyone, makes the use of a proper sand load a necessity.

• Increases solid content
• Less expensive than sealer
• Provides a more skid resistant surface
• Improved wearability
• Decreased sun glare
• More competitive product
• Improves appearance of minor deformities

ADDITIVE BENEFITS:

• Enables you to use greater sand volumes due to suspension in tank and content in final product
• Job will wear longer
• Will dry quicker
• Greater oil and gas resistance
• Darker color
• Enables sealer to bond better to pavement